Refrigerator



June 27, 1,933. R CALTON 1,916,166

REFRIGERATOR Filed NOV. 14, 1932 Patented June 27, 1933 i UNITED STATES ROBERT G. GALTON, O1? NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR T0 TENNESSEE ENAMEL f PATENT FFICE MANUFACTURING CO., F NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF TENNESSEE REFRIGERATOR Application filed November 14, 1932. Serial No. 642,657.

This invention relates to refrigerators of the overhead or top icer type and, among other objects, aims to provide bottle compartments in the food storage space below the ice bunker constructed and arranged to maintain a lower temperature than that in the food compartment to provide for the storage of milk, beverages and foods which d require relatively low refrigeration temperatures. The idea is to provide compartments by means of a partition or partitions which so control the circulation of the cold air by choking action that the temperature in the bottle compartments is maintained at several degrees below that in the main food compartment, or at such temperature as is required to keep milk, etc. Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the speciiication when considered in connection 0 with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of va refrigerator embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical view taken at right angles to Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a sheet metal partition adapted to form the compartments.

The need for cold compartments in iced refrigerators has long since been recognized because the temperatures maintained in the food compartments of nearly all ordinary refrigerators is too high topreserve milk as well as some foods and vegetables. To provide such compartments in refrigerators of the overhead or top-icer type has heretofore been considered impracticable, if not impossible, because of the serious problem presented in controlling the air .circulation inthe food compartment. This invention provides a simple and novel arrangement of bottle or cold storage compartments specially designed to choke the circulation of the cold air to circulate the coldest air therein, as Well as to prevent the warm air, rising from the food compartment, from entering the 5 cold compartments.

Referring particularly to the drawing, there is shown a refrigerator casing 10 of the overhead ice bunkerjtype within which is arranged an ice rack 11 of the type shown in my copending application, Ser. No.

630,278,ffiled August 24, 1932; although it is to be understood that different types of racks may be employed. ln this instance, the rack has a series of heat exchanging ins 12 providing transverse air fines throughwhich the air circulates and is chilled by coming in contact with the bottoni of the rack and with the hns, as is fully explained in the aforesaid application. The rack is shown as being supported above a double drip pan 13 secured to the front and back walls of the casing and spaced from the side walls as shown in Fig. 1. rThis drip pan has a central opening 111 through which the cold, air descends into the storage compartment of the refrigerator.

In accordance with this invention,v a pair of bottle compartments 15 are provided on opposite sides of the box immediately below the rack and are mad-e of such size as toraccommodate milk bottles, beverage bottles and the like. Herein, the bottle compartments are formed by a sheet metal partition having an upper, rearwardly inclined wall 16, vertical side walls 1? and horizontal bottom walls 18, said bottom walls being suitably secured to the side walls of the box. This partition may be and is preferably made of a single piece of sheet metal bent in the form of a deep channel having flanges to provide the bottom walls. The upper horizontal wall 16 is arranged cen'trally of the boX below the cold air circulating opening 14 in the drip pan. This wall is preferably also secured to the front and rear walls of the box by means of a separate7 reinforcing strip of sheet metal 19 having upwardly bent iianges 2O and 21 at its opposite ends adapted to abut .the front and rear walls of the box so as to be secured thereto. This strip is convenientlyV welded tothe wall 16.

In this instance, an auxiliary insulated drip pan 22 is supported on the strip 19 belowthe down-draft opening or flue 14 to catch the drip water which passes through the opening. Due to the rearward and downward inclination of the connecting wall 16, this auxiliary drip pan drains to the rear into an ordinary drain tube23 below a drain nipple 241from the main drip pan. (Fig.2.)

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the partition and the compartments formed thereby terminate short of the front wall of the box, the purpose being to provide space for the rising current of air from the food compartment. The vertical walls 17 are shown as having rectangular openings 25 adjacent to their lower edges intermediate the ends and these openings are of such size to permit only a portion of the chilled air which enters said compartments 15 to pass downwardly into the main food compartment. The sizes of these openings are determined by experiment and will be dependent largelyv upon the size and ice capacity of the box. The arrangement is such that all of the chilled air is confined or guided to pass through both compartments and some of it, after absorbing heat from the stored articles, will again rise to be rechilled without entering the food compartment (see the arrows in Fig. 1). Some of the chilled air in the bottle compartments passes through the openings 25 and descends in a merged stream through the central portion of the box. As it absorbs heat from the food in the main compartment and from the walls of the box, it rises through the space between the front ends of the bottle compartments and the front wall -as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2. This air again enters the spaces between the side edges of the drip pan 13 and the side walls of the box, joining the rising currents coming from the bottle compartments and again passes through the iiues between the fins below the ice rack to be chilled and recirculated.

In a refrigerator of the type described, ity

is particularly advantageous to utilize'cold storage compartments on opposite sides; otherwise, the ice would be melted unevenly at the bottom, due to the choked circulation and the reuslting lower temperature at one side. The advantages of causing the ice to melt substantially uniformly from the bottom f upwards, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. This is fully explained in the aforesaid application.

Practical experiments have demonstrated that a refrigerator having improved bottle compartments embodying this invention will maintain a differential temper-ature in the compartments and the food storage space at all times. The ideal temperature of 45 F. or less, for the storage of milk, is easily maintained at all ordinary room temperatures while the temperature in the food storage space will be as much as 5 or 10 higher, depending upon the sizes of the circulating openings through the inside walls of the compartments, the choking action of the circulation by stored articles and the capacity of the box.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the construction and design of the improved cold compartments is very simple.

The partitions may be manufactured and installed at very little extra expense. Moreover, very little of the storage space in the food compartment is sacrificed. Further, the arrangement is very efficient and sanitary in operation, insuring that none of the rising current of air from the food compartment comes in contact with anything that may be stored in the cold compartments.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, 'it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, a pair of spaced bottle compartments in the upper portion of the food storage chamber terminating short of the frontwall of the box to provide an air circulating passage from the main food chamber; and a wall between the upper ends of the bottle compartments to deiect all of the chilled air through said compartments, the bottle compartments having air openings to permit only a portion of the chilled air to escape therefrom and descend into the food storage chamber.

2. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, an upright casing; a drip pan spaced from the side walls of the casing and having a central air circulating opening; a rack supported abovev the drip pan; a pair of bottle compartments below the drip pan on opposite sides of the food compartment and terminating short of the front wall of the casing to provide an air circulating passage from the food compartment; means to direct the flow of chilled air into both bottle compartments from the opening in the drip pan; and vertical side walls forming said compartments having air circulating openings adjacent to the bottoms of said compartments permitting part of the chilled air to descend from said compartments in a merged stream through the middle of the food compartment.

3. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, an upright casing; a drip pan spaced from the side walls of the casing and having a central air circulating opening; a rack supported above the drip pan; and a bent sheet metal partition secured in the casing f below the drip panto provide a pair of spaced bottle compartments and having a wall below the circulating opening in the drip pan extending between the upper ends of the bottle compartments to direct the chilled air into both compartments; said partition terminating short of one wall of the cabinet to provide an air circulating passage from the food compartment, and said .bottlecompartments having substantially frectangular openings through the inner side walls to permit a portionv of the chilled air to descend into the food compartment.

fi. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, an upright casing; a drip pan spaced from the side walls of the casing and having a central air circulating opening; a rack supported above the drip pan; a pair of bottle compartments on opposite sides of the food compartment terminating short of the front wall; each of said compartments having a sheet metal bottom wall secured to the side walls of the cabinet and a sheet metal vertical wall; an upper' sheet metal wall connecting said vert-ical walls and arranged below the air opening in the drip pan adapted to divert chilled air into said compartments; and a reinforcing sheet metal strip on the said upper wall having flanges secured to the front and rear walls of the cabinet, said vertical sheet metal walls having air openings intermediate their ends to permit some of the chilled air to descend into the food compartment.

5. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, a single piece of bent sheet metal secured within the casing below the ice bunker and dividing the upper portion of the food storage space into a pair of spaced bottle compartments through which the chilled air circulates, the walls of said compartments having air outlet openings to permit choked air circulation in the food storage space.

6. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, an upright casing; a drip pan spaced from the side walls of the casing and having a central air circulating opening; a rack supported above the drip pan; a pair of bottle compartments on opposite sides of the food 1 compartment terminating short of the front wall; each of said compartments having a sheet metal bottom wall secured to the side walls of the cabinet and a sheet metal vertical wall; an upper, rearwardly inclined sheet metal wall connecting said vertical c walls and arranged below the air opening in into the food compartment; and an auxiliary- .insulated drip pan supported on said reinforcing strip to catch the drip water passing through the central air circulating opening in said first named drip pan.

7. In a refrigerator of the overhead icer type, a casing having an ice bunker in the top; a main drip pan below the ice bunker having a central air circulating opening, the side edges of the drip pan being spaced from the side walls of the casing to provide for the upward passage of relatively warm air from the storage space below; a pair of bottle compartments on opposite sides of the casing below the main drip pan terminating short of the front wall of the casing and having air outlet openings into the food storage space; a connecting rearwardly inclined wall between the upper ends of the bottle compartments below the air circulating opening; and an insulated auxiliary drip pan supported on said connecting wall below said opening.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own7 I have hereto afliXed my signature.

ROBERT G; CALTON-` eov 

